The above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,958 discloses an identification system which in one embodiment employs an imprinting device in the form of a recording card for taking fingerprints without applying any ink directly to the finger. This system has the obvious advantage of cleanliness over conventional fingerprint techniques. The recording card includes, in general, a frame member which is provided with at least one window therein, a thin sheet of impression conforming material secured across the frame window, inking means disposed on one surface of the sheet material, and a fingerprint receiving surface disposed on the inked side of the sheet material in alignment with the window. The fingerprint receiving surface is normally maintained in spaced relationship with the inking means. To take a print with the structure of the recording card disposed in the above-mentioned application, the individual's finger is placed on the side of the sheet material opposite to the side which carries the inking means. The sheet material is thereby stretched and caused to conform to the individual's fingerprint. In this condition, contact between the opposite inked surface of the impression conforming sheet material and the fingerprint receiving surface produces a clear and accurate ink reproduction of the fingerprint.
With the recording card disclosed in the above mentioned application, there are certain features which may present problems in particular applications unless the card is handled and used properly. One problem relates to the relationship between the inking means and the impression conforming sheet. As disclosed in said co-pending application, the inking means may include a coating of wet ink adhered to the surface of the impression conforming sheet, however, the uniformness of this coating and the strength of the adhesive bond formed between the wet ink coating and impression conforming sheet has been found to be less than desirable in some instances. For example, an uneven ink coating is apt to produce a print in which some of the lines are heavy and dark while others are rather faint and, in some instances imperceptible. A weak adhesive bond between the ink coating and the impression conforming sheet is apt to produce slippage at the interface between the ink and the sheet resulting in a smudged or blurred print in which the lines of the print are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Of course, a good quality print can be obtained with the recording card disclosed in said co-pending application if the user is careful to apply just the right amount of pressure when taking the print being especially careful to see that the inked surface of the impression conforming sheet and the print receiving surface are held in firmly and immovably together.
Another problem associated with the recording card disclosed in said co-pending application arises from the fact that the presence of the ink coating makes it impossible to see through the impression conforming sheet for purposes of determining in advance the precise location of the ultimate print on the print receiving surface. In certain applications, however the precise placement of the print on the print receiving surface is important. For example, where the print receiving surface consists of a standard form blank having one or more ruled boxes each of which is separately identified as containing a specified print, it is very important that the specified print be confined within the boundaries of the box designated for such purpose. A common example of such a standard form is the standard fingerprint blank used by law enforcement agencies. Such forms are generally provided with a series of ruled boxes identified as containing the print of a particular finger such as the thumb, forefinger, index finger and so forth. Of course, the print could be properly positioned on this type of standard form by using the recording card disclosed in the above-mentioned application if the user makes a careful estimation of the location of the proper box in relation to the surface area of the opaque impression conforming sheet.